The scarce dollar, which has led to the unprecedented inflation hike at 16% is said to be raining among the members of Nigeria lower legislative chamber, the House of Representative as the embattled former House Appropriation Committee chairman Abdulmumin Jibrin alleged that Speaker Yakubu Dogara has started gifting out $25,000 each to members to pass a vote of confidence on him.
His allegation came amid preparations by the Special Investigation Panel (SIP) for its session tomorrow with Dogara, his deputy Yussuf Lasun, Chief Whip Alhassan Ado Doguwa and Minority Leader Leo Ogor.
He said members were being wooed to frustrate plans to remove Dogara.
Investigation showed that the SIP spent hours going through the volume of documents before it.
A top source said: “We have been going through the petition and sieving all the documents submitted to the panel by Jibrin. So far, we have collated all the allegations in readiness for Friday’s (tomorrow’s) session with Dogara and others. We may invite more members of the House but we have decided on a piecemeal approach.
“After quizzing the first set of four principal officers, we will then go to others implicated in the N284billion budget padding deal.”
On his Twitter handle Jibrin accused Zakari Mohammed, Jagaba Adams Jagaba and the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Speaker, CID Maduabum as the coordinators of the$25,000 bribe.
He said: “Fellow Nigerians, in a desperate attempt, Speaker Dogara and the three others have opened a register for a vote of confidence signature.
“The register is opened at his Asokoro Guest House located at Wilberforce Juta Crescent. Hon. Members are given $25,000 to sign.
“This disgraceful act is coordinated by Hon. Zakari Mohammed, Hon. Jagaba Adams Jagaba and the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Speaker, Hon. CID Maduabum.
“My stand is that Speaker Dogara, Lasun, Doguwa and Ogor must listen to Nigerians, reconvene the House immediately and step aside.
“Investigation by the anti-graft agencies is already on and I pledge to support the investigation and prosecution of these corrupt public officers.
“I am also obliged to respond to some allegations that I am sponsored by some external forces to destabilise the House.
“The worthless and laughable allegation is orchestrated by Speaker Dogara and others to discredit my unstoppable mission.
“No external forces in this matter. If there are any, they deserve commendation for sponsoring a struggle to wipe out corruption in the House.
“He will soon resort to religious blackmail forgetting I was the one, Muslim from the Northwest that spearheaded and mobilized resources for his election.”
Zakari has denied involvement in any bribe-for-vote of confidence for Dogara.
In a statement in Abuja Zakari’s revelation of fresh allegation of bribery scandal in the House.
Zakari said: “I have just come across another satanic tweet today by the ousted Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Hon. Abdumumin Jibrin that I was coordinating the sharing of $25,000 to members of the House in return for a vote of confidence on Speaker Yakubu Dogara.
“The latest twist was one of the series which Jibrin had indulged in for the past two weeks to drag me into his one-man vitriolic assault on the leadership of the House following his replacement by the Speaker.
“I wish to state clearly that I did not collect any bribe sum from the Speaker and I never shared $25,000 to any member of the House to seek support for the Speaker. I have rich and ethical antecedents by heritage, upbringing, education and societal moulding. I have been living within my means, I have always discharged my duties without fear or favour and I have no cause to indulge in bribery.
“I challenge Jibrin to come to equity with clean hands. Let him release any proof at his disposal to the public on the $25, 000 bribery allegations.
“As far as I am concerned, Jibrin is obsessed by his latter day anti-corruption paranoid. The so-called bribe-for-vote of confidence exists in his imagination. Once a member does not buy into his destruct agenda, such a person must be brought down.
“The Speaker and other principal officers have already offered their commitment to defend every allegation against them. There is no basis for bribe-for-vote of confidence as alleged by Jibrin. Why can’t Jibrin allow the law to take its course on the allegations before the police and anti-graft agencies?
“Recourse to self-help, name-calling, maligning of members of the House has revealed his personal agenda against me and some selected members of the House.
“My offence has been my opposition to the choice of Jibrin as the chairman of the Appropriation Committee. I believe he has not forgiven me for my incisive forewarning that the Speaker will regret Jibrin’s appointment.”
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